HANDHELD NEWS – According to rumors, Microsoft is taking steps to make games released for the first two generations of the Xbox console available to a wider audience.
Despite the company’s currently questionable management, it is undeniable that Xbox has done some things right in the past. One of its greatest achievements is backward compatibility, which ensures that certain older games remain playable on current-generation systems without requiring users to dig out old consoles or discs. In the future, this backward-compatibility effort could extend to Windows and the ROG Xbox Ally if the reported initiatives succeed.
On the ResetEra forum, Nate the Hate, a reliable insider known for consistently accurate information, commented on the future of the Xbox ecosystem. He suggested that backward compatibility may expand to additional platforms. “There is hope to make legacy Xbox games (Xbox and Xbox 360) backward compatible on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally and Windows. Whether they succeed is unknown, but an effort is being made. Another unknown is how extensive the initiative will be. Will it be similar to what we currently have on the Xbox Series, or will backward compatibility expand to include more titles across the Xbox ecosystem?” Nate the Hate wrote.
We have previously heard about the possibility of old Xbox games arriving on PC, but even if development is underway, multiple obstacles must be overcome before this can become reality. One major issue restricting a wider selection of titles on PC and the ROG Xbox Ally is licensing, as publishers reportedly refuse to convert Xbox game licenses into PC licenses.
What seems almost certain is that the next-generation Xbox, rumored to feature AMD’s Magnus APU, will support backward compatibility with older titles. In that scenario, licensing issues would not apply, allowing legacy games to remain playable on modern consoles.
Regardless of Microsoft’s exact plans, news regarding the future of the ecosystem may surface in 2026, the 25th anniversary of the Xbox brand. Perhaps we won’t have to wait long to find out whether these ongoing efforts will bear fruit and whether older titles will indeed become available on PC.
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